Did LeBron or Steph Win the All-Star Draft?

Team LeBron and Team Steph have been decided. The two All-Star captains made their picks in the All-Star Draft yesterday, choosing who they wanted to play along side them in this years All-Star game. LeBron James got the first pick in the draft, choosing from the pool of All-Star starters, while Curry got the first pick of the reserves. Below is a break down of who was selected by each team captain.

Team LeBron

Starters:

Kyrie Irving

Kevin Durant

LeBron James

Anthony Davis

DeMarcus Cousins

Reserves:

Bradley Beal

LaMarcus Aldridge

Kevin Love

Russell Westbrook

Victor Oladipo

Kristaps Porzingis

John Wall

Team Steph

Starters:

Steph Curry

James Harden

DeMar DeRozan

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Joel Embiid

Reserves:

Klay Thompson

Draymond Green

Jimmy Butler

Damian Lillard

Al Horford

Kyle Lowry

Karl-Anthony Towns

After every sports draft, whether it be the NBA, NFL, etc., we always ask who won and who lost. We always determine a winner and a loser, so it only seems right to do the same for this draft. When it comes to a normal draft, being called a loser means you made bad picks. When it comes to the All-Star Draft it’s pretty hard to lose. Every player is an All-Star for a reason, so neither team made bad picks. In this draft when I say either team LeBron or team Steph is the loser, I just mean I think the other team is better overall.

Team LeBron Starters

When I look at the two teams, I like what LeBron did. Not only does his team have him, but it has Kevin Durant. Team LeBron gets a win for having the best and arguably the second best player in the NBA. What makes having Kevin Durant even more impressive, is that Durant will be playing shooting guard in this game. The 2-5 spots are all players who are 6’8″ or taller. At 6’9″, Durant is playing the 2 spot.

To go along with Durant, LeBron picked Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. I like these two picks because they already have chemistry. Not only do they have chemistry, but they’re considered one of, if not the best players at their positions. Now we can’t forget about Kyrie Irving. With Kyrie at the point and 4 players who are the best at their positions, that’s a win for Team LeBron.

Team Steph Starters

Looking at Curry’s team, I think the players he has are all very talented. James Harden and DeRozan are two of the best shooting guards in the league. Giannis is a freak, and Joel Embiid is a rising star who will likely be the best at his position soon.

The problem I see for this starting lineup, is matching up with the size of LeBron’s team. Kyrie and Steph pretty much equal each other out, but then things get tough. Harden is matched up with Durant and DeRozan with LeBron. Then we have Giannis matched up on Anthony Davis. I think Cousins is better than Embiid, but they actually play the same position so we’ll call that one even.

Team LeBron Reserves

LeBron’s team has 3 players having career years in Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal, and Kristaps Porzingis. He also has the reigning MVP in Russell Westbrook among some other studs. With the combination of LaMarcus Aldridge, Porzingis, and Love, this team has some pretty good big men who can rebound and shoot. With players like Westbrook and Wall, they’ve got a lot of speed and deadly drives to the rim. I really like what this team has all around. They’ve got size, strength, speed, and shooting.

Team Steph Reserves

I like what Steph did by drafting two of his teammates. I’m sure that Curry, Thompson, and Green will be in the game together at some point. We know how deadly they were even without Kevin Durant, but now they’re adding 2 more All-Stars into the lineup with them. This team also has some really good defensive players. Between Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford, and Towns, their defense looks pretty dang good.

Who Has the Better Team?

When looking at the overall players, I think LeBron’s team has the better players. His starting lineup is insane, and his team is going to be difficult to keep up with going up and down the floor. Steph’s team has the defensive players to slow them down if they can get the right lineup though. Although I do think LeBron’s team has the better players and better lineup, who wins the All-Star game isn’t about who has the better players. In this type of game the winner is usually determined by who tries harder. Regardless of who wins, I think this game will be fun to watch because it’s a little different than we’re used to seeing.